What to Pack for a Day on the Lake: The Ultimate Family Checklist

Every captain has a version of the same story: the family that drove an hour to the marina, got everyone loaded, pushed off the dock—and then realized the sunscreen is sitting on the kitchen counter. Or the diapers are in the other car. Or the phone is at 9%. A lake day is one of the best things you can do with a summer Saturday in Connecticut, but a single forgotten item can turn a great morning into a long afternoon. Here's the checklist we actually use, built from years of running captained pontoon charters on Candlewood Lake and Lake Lillinonah.

Sun protection: the #1 thing people forget

On the water, the sun hits you twice—once from above, once reflected off the surface. You will burn faster on a boat than you will in your backyard, and it sneaks up on you because the breeze keeps you feeling cool. Build your sun kit before you leave the house:

• Reef-safe sunscreen, SPF 30 or higher. Look for mineral (zinc oxide or titanium dioxide) formulas. Several Connecticut lakes and swim areas ask for reef-safe only, and it's better for the water regardless. Pack more than you think you need—you'll reapply every two hours and after swimming.
• Hats for everyone. A wide brim beats a baseball cap, but either beats nothing. Add a chin strap or hat clip so it doesn't end up in the lake on the first turn.
• Polarized sunglasses. They cut the glare off the water so you can actually see skiers, swimmers, and the shoreline. Cheap polarized is fine. Floating straps are a nice touch.
• SPF lip balm. Lips burn too, and nobody remembers until it's too late.

Hydration & the refillable-bottle rule

Sun plus wind plus activity dehydrates you faster than you realize, and on a boat there is no drinking fountain. Bring one refillable water bottle per person, filled and cold, plus a larger jug in the cooler for refills. Skip the single-use plastic bottles—they roll, they leak, and they end up in the lake. Insulated stainless bottles (Hydro Flask, Yeti, Stanley) keep water cold for a full day in the sun, which is the difference between your kids actually drinking water and ignoring it.

Aim for about a liter per adult for a half-day trip, more if anyone is skiing, wakeboarding, or swimming hard. Electrolyte packets are a smart add-on for hot days. And yes—this applies to adults every bit as much as kids. The person who gets a headache at 2 p.m. is almost always a parent who forgot to drink.

Food & cooler strategy

Food on a boat is about three things: easy to eat with one hand, doesn't melt, and doesn't spoil in the heat. The best lake-day lunches are assembly-style rather than pre-made, so everyone builds their own and you're not unpacking soggy sandwiches.

• Finger food that travels: wraps (tighter than sandwiches and won't fall apart), cut fruit, grapes, berries, baby carrots, string cheese, jerky, crackers, hummus in a small tub.
• Ice packs over loose ice. Loose ice melts into a puddle and soaks everything. Hard ice packs or a frozen water bottle keep the cooler cold without the mess—and the bottle becomes drinking water as it thaws.
• The no-glass rule. Most Connecticut lakes and marinas prohibit glass on the water for good reason—it breaks and you can't get it out. Move pickles, salsa, and anything jarred into a plastic container before you pack it. If you wouldn't want to step on it barefoot at the swim ledge, don't bring it in glass.
• Snacks that travel: trail mix, granola bars, popcorn, pretzels. Avoid chocolate that melts and anything that gets sticky in the heat.

A calm weekday morning on the lake—the kind of day worth packing for.

Dry bags & phone/wallet protection

Water and phones do not mix, and the spray from a turn or a skier's wake is enough to ruin a good day. Give every adult a dry bag for phone, wallet, keys, and anything else that shouldn't get wet. A 5-liter dry bag fits a phone, wallet, sunglasses case, and a small towel; a 10-liter fits the whole family's electronics.

A waterproof phone pouch with a lanyard is the upgrade worth making. You can still use the touchscreen through the pouch, take photos, and—most importantly—your phone is on a strap around your neck, not sitting on a seat where it slides into the lake on the next turn. Floating lanyards are even better for sunglasses and keys.

Towels, change of clothes & the ride home

Bring one towel per person, plus a spare. Towels live in a dry bag or a separate tote—not loose on the boat, where they'll be soaked by noon. A dry change of clothes for each kid (and honestly, each adult) stays in the car, not on the boat, so you have something warm and dry for the drive home. Swimsuits, a cover-up, and a light hoodie for late-afternoon wind cover the rest. The ride home is when the tired-and-wet meltdown hits; the dry clothes in the car prevent it.

Safety basics & personal items

The boat is required to carry life jackets for everyone aboard—that's the law, not a suggestion—and on our charters we always do. But a few personal items are on you:

• A small first-aid kit. Bandages, antiseptic wipes, blister pads, and tweezers for splinters. A hook-and-lure kit if anyone is fishing.
• Personal medications. Inhalers, EpiPens, motion-sickness meds, bee-sting kits—in a waterproof pouch, with the person who needs them, not in the bottom of a bag.
• A preferred PFD for kids. Our boats carry kid and adult life jackets, but if your child has a PFD they're comfortable in, bring it. A kid who trusts their own life jacket swims and rides with confidence; one in an unfamiliar jacket often won't.
• Hat retainer or hat clip. Hats blow off. A $6 clip saves a $40 hat and a tantrum.

Curious how this all fits into a day on the water? See our fishing charters on Lake Lillinonah for a sense of what a captained day actually looks like.

Kid-specific extras

If you're bringing kids, a few extras pay for themselves in peace and quiet:

• Rash guards and swim shirts. UPF-rated swim shirts cover shoulders and backs so you're not chasing a wiggly kid with a sunscreen stick every hour. They're the single best sun move for little ones.
• Snacks that calm. Low-sugar, easy-to-eat snacks—cheese sticks, crackers, fruit pouches—in small portions, spaced out. The classic post-swim crash is real; a snack at the right moment resets the whole trip.
• Entertainment for the boat. A small bag of cards, a coloring book, or a bucket and shovel for the swim ledge. Skip anything with small pieces that roll, and leave the tablets at home—glare makes them useless and the lake is the point.
• A familiar towel or small blanket. For the kid who needs a quiet corner after lunch.

For families newer to the water, our kids' watersports clinics in New Milford are a gentle way to build comfort before a full lake day.

A dry change of clothes waiting in the car is the difference between a tired kid and a meltdown.

What everyone forgets (the captain's list)

These are the items that get mentioned on the boat, every single week, with a sigh and a "we should have brought…" Pull this list up the night before:

• After-sun lotion or aloe. Sunscreen prevents; after-sun repairs. You'll want it before bed, not at 9 p.m. from a drugstore.
• Trash bags. Bring two. Lakes don't have trash cans, and "we'll deal with it at the marina" is how chip bags end up overboard. Pack it in, pack it out.
• Extra hats & sunglasses. At least one of each will end up in the water. Bring a backup.
• Lip balm with SPF. The most-forgotten item, every trip.
• A dry change of clothes in the car. Not on the boat. In the car.
• A phone charger or power bank. You'll take a hundred photos. The battery will die.

Packing by trip length

Not every lake day is the same. Here's how the kit scales whether you're out for a quick sunset spin, a half-day, or a full day on the water:

Heading out in the fall? Swap the sunscreen for layers and read our fall foliage lake trips guide—the checklist shifts when the afternoons get short and the wind picks up.

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